Power cuts generate cash for co-op's firms

Twenty-four Chicago area businesses taking part in a pilot energy cooperative earned a total of $750,000 for reducing their electricity usage during peak energy demand times last summer.

The cooperative, which was launched by the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology and funded by Commonwealth Edison Co., shaved roughly 7.5 megawatts off of peak demand during the summer  roughly half the amount of energy that is generated by a peaker power plant.

The cooperative plans to increase membership to 75 companies this year with the goal of reducing peak demand by 25 megawatts this summer.